Bottle Design:
Marc Newson, Illustration: Alex Israel

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Parfums de Cologne

California Dream Louis Vuitton 2020

7.7 / 10 570 Ratings

A popular perfume by Louis Vuitton for women and men, released in 2020. The scent is fresh-citrusy. It is being marketed by LVMH.
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Main accords

Fresh

Citrus

Fruity

Sweet

Synthetic

Fragrance Notes

Mandarin orange

Ambrette

Benzoin

Perfumer

Jacques Cavallier-Belletrud

Ratings

Scent

7.7570 Ratings

Longevity

6.3531 Ratings

Sillage

6.2529 Ratings

Bottle

9.0545 Ratings

Value for money

5.1434 Ratings

Submitted by OPomone, last update on 10/30/2025.

Interesting Facts

The fragrance is part of the Parfums de Cologne collection.

Smells similar

What the fragrance is similar to

Cali Life

Soleil Désire

Silhouette In Bloom

Cali Love

Italian Citrus

Light Blue Eau de Toilette

Reviews

24 in-depth fragrance descriptions

03/21/2025

10Scent 7Longevity 7Sillage

Madao
4 Reviews

Madao

1

Hidden gem from Louis Vuitton

Walking through San Diego, sipping a cocktail in Santa Monica, or watching the sunset in Ibiza—that's California Dream by Louis Vuitton. A true hidden gem, often overlooked in the fragrance community and rarely mentioned by reviewers.

Fresh, with excellent sillage and longevity, it shares a similar vibe with Another 13 by Le Labo or a classic Kenzo. Musky with a hint of fruit, though not exactly fruity—the ambrette takes center stage. It's unisex and perfect for spring, summer and early fall.

If you’re not into fresh, musky, and clean scents, this one isn’t for you.

Finally, despite its beachy essence, it works just as well in the office or business meetings, projecting transparency and good intentions.

04/15/2025

7.5Scent 6Longevity 6Sillage

SmellFresh
8 Reviews

SmellFresh

1

Juicy mandarin orange

California Dream opens up with its juicy mandarin orange note on full display. There is also a bit of an orange peel smell in there too. It doesn’t have the sharp punch that the citrus of Sun Song had and is quite mellow and naturalistic. Retaining that clean sensibility and brightness.

California Dream is a citrus scent that is going to give you a zesty aroma with the mandarin. It’s not my favorite type of orange, but it works well enough in this Louis Vuitton offering, and actually is one of the better examples that I’ve come across.

There may be some other unlisted fruit or other citrus notes lightly in the mix too. Mostly, it’s that mandarin.

It’s smoother later on and rounded out by the addition of the musk note. Honestly, I don’t get much benzoin standing out in the mix in California Dream, until the end. The musk is pretty pronounced for much of it, though, it never is overwhelming.

Opening act of zesty fresh mandarin. Then, mandarin sitting on top of musk with some ambrette coming into play.

To me, it’s a citrus with musk and ambrette during most of the wear. Less juicy as it dries down and and just a finish of benzoin after a few hours. Musk with a slight powdery sweetness in the latter stage.

10/07/2025

7Scent 5Longevity 6Sillage

schnauzer
100 Reviews

schnauzer

Nice enough

A compelling trio of notes: benzoin, mandarin orange, and ambrette. The benzoin gives this an appealing depth and warmth, the mandarin orange brightens it up a bit, and the ambrette ties it all together. It even feels somewhat unique.

So I couldn't really tell you why, unfortunately, it also feels rather unremarkable. Maybe I just need to try it out again. It's nice enough, though.

The bottle's colors feel amiss. To me, this feels rather like a sunset at a nice sand beach, evoking colors like deep amber or muted warm dark neutrals.

04/23/2020

8Scent 6Longevity 7Sillage

TruuMax
70 Reviews

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TruuMax

Very helpful Review 13

The City of Angels

A fragrance that feels like cruising through the streets of Los Angeles in an old Ferrari convertible... Exclusive, light, refreshing, and always with a touch of self-staging somewhere between arrogance and depression.

At first, I was greeted by an extremely authentic but boring mandarin note... So boring that I looked quite puzzled and thought, "And this is supposed to cost as much as the other LV fragrances?".

But suddenly... Woah, the top note opened up and I was hit by a not quite ripe mandarin mixed with a bucket full of various flowers... The sillage immediately spread throughout the room and the slightly biting sour yet simultaneously bitter soft scent conquered the entire space. On one hand, it is incredibly light, yet it presents itself dramatically Hollywood-worthy.

And although it seems so quiet and weak to me, my companions confirmed this immediately. I've rarely been asked about my scent so quickly and so often at home.

My mother even compared it to an orange peel soaked in Molecule 01... It definitely seems to have more depth than I perceive.

In terms of longevity, it reportedly held strong from morning until late afternoon, and on my skin, I can still sense the last remnants. So it will likely last around 6-7 hours.

The sillage is more intense than one would expect from such a mild breeze for oneself, although never truly dominant. Rather a solid presence.

Since I only have a sample, I can't say much about the bottle. The pictures from the sender were great, and the others from the brand are certainly all worthy of the price in terms of quality.

Now the only question left is when one can finally leave their own fingerprints behind...

Definitely recommended for fans of authentic and not overly sweet citrus fruits, even though it unfortunately lacks a bit of uniqueness.

05/16/2022

5.5Scent 4Longevity 4Sillage

Leimbacher
2869 Reviews

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Leimbacher

Top Review 21

Anneliese Schaum

That many LVs have a mild, understated citrus DNA and that this has been chosen as the olfactory brand language is clear to me by now. Often, this results in a lot of accessibility and appeal. "California Dream" also has a citrus character. Here, a lot revolves around the mandarin. Very transparent and light. Simple and straight. Minimalistic and (benzoin) creamy. As one has come to expect from LV.

Nice, beautiful, high-quality. No one will be disgusted here. But a hell of a lot of (perfumistas) will surely be bored. That can be assumed. Because this ode to San Fran (?) is simply quite mushy and... whatever. I can't say it any other way. A sunset of indifference. Mildest citrus fruits in an ambretted marinade. What can sound mouthwatering and brilliant is unfortunately, in reality, as stimulating as asleep feet. Often even shampoo-like. It takes a lot of goodwill and imagination for me to see a great fragrance in this. And the price isn't even factored in. Don't get me wrong: "Cali Dream" can be worn well and unapologetically. Unobtrusive and defensive, characterless and shapeless. However, one should not expect a wow in any of its phases. Very, very mainstream. Even for LV.

Bottle: wonderful color scheme; magnetic cap fits
Sillage: unobtrusive to the point of being non-existent
Longevity: hardly there after 4 hours

Conclusion: a large, round overall package... of disappointment. No "yuck," but even less "wow." This Californian dream delivers uninspired, romantic monotony. LV can do better!

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